[af_vet_rr]

I have to disagree with this. Everyone has months to plan for each hurricane season, and the better part of a week to know the intensity and landfall potential. Failing to get out of the way of an enormous hurricane when living on a barrier island is not a good reason to expect air drops of food and water at your convenience.

I actually agree with you, and it's a very unpopular view to have - they took their lives into their own hands. I even go so far as to agree with the state of Texas that many of these people shouldn't be allowed to rebuild in the same spots (they are called barrier islands for a reason).

But, and it's a big but, I expected FEMA to learn from Katrina. I also expected better from Texas at the state level - we aren't the liberals of Louisiana floundering around and screaming for George Bush. We've had a couple of dry runs in the last few years, and over the past 30, we've had Alicia and Allison and a handful of others to learn from.

I'm watching these press conferences and interviews, and I'm seeing FEMA complaining about the Governor's office backing off on what they said they could do, and I'm seeing the state complaining that FEMA can't feed the very personnel who they have doing the rescues, and I'm seeing the Governor not knowing who is in control of an area, and I'm seeing vacuums here and there that nobody wants to fill or is hesitant to fill and so on and so forth. Basically, I'm seeing the left hand not talking to the right hand, and at times neither is talking to the brain and it all contributes to a lot of wasted time.

[CindyDawg]

Fema and the elected leaders need to act like doctors instead of nurses. No one should expect perfection the first few days but they need to stick together. Fighting confuses people and gives the media ammo. Take it behind closed doors.

[gleeaikin]

I agree with you. Everyone does have months to plan for each hurricane season. Why people don’t have several weeks of canned goods to hold them I can’t fathom. When my husband was failing with Alzheimers, I accumulated about a 3 month supply of canned meats, vegies, fruit, and some evaporated milk, because I figured there would be a time when I could only rarely go out to shop because he would no longer be able to walk to the store. My daughter-in-law in Miami grew up in Puerto Rico. Every spring she buys about 6 crates of bottled water. The Mormons tell their people to have a one year supply of food on hand for emergencies, including such things as unemployment.

It is ridiculous that the state and FEMA go through the foolish dance you describe when they have had so much time to coordinate and put supplies in place.